Machine for printing contrinuous forms



Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL 2,687,090

MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS Filed March 1, 1949 9 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1949 K mm? W Z )(INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL 2,687,090.

MACHINE FOR PRINTING'CONTINUOUS FORMS Filed March 1, 1949 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.3'

INVENTOR -fl ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL MACHINE FOR PRINTING commuous FORMS 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 1 1949 FIG.4

4 oo ooonwyiooounio w u E M E u D n m w B L ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 1 1949 INVENTOR M ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL 2,587,090

MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS Filed March 1, 1949 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. IO

INVEN TOR.

Y M amt/4 Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL 2,637,090

MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS Filed March 1, 1949 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 INVENTOR 7/61 7/1 ATTORNEY Aug. 1954 F. M. CARROLL MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS 9 Sheets- Sheet 8 Filed March 1 1949 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1954 F. M. CARROLL MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed March 1, 19 19 ATTORNEY m T N E V m Patented Aug. 24, 1954 MACHINE FOR PRINTING CONTINUOUS FORMS Fred M. Carroll, Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 1, 1949, Serial No. 78,936

16 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for producing a series of forms printed upon a strip of paper.

r One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a printing machine which is adapted to receive a strip of blank paper and to print forms arranged in sequence along the strip.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a machine for printing parallel lines extending laterally across a continuous strip of paper in separated groups, each group. having a preselected number of lines depending upon the number of items for which a form is to be provided, and means whereby the machine may be adjusted to print forms of different capacity and length.

Another object is to provide a printing mecha nism which is adapted to receive a web of blank paper and a Web of carbon paper and to score said webs for the purpose of sub-dividing them into a series of single forms.

Another object is to provide mechanism for establishing and laying two or more travelling strips or webs of paper in superposition with their edges coinciding so that they may subsequently be worked upon to produce duplicate copies of printed forms. Another object is to provide a machine for printing multiple forms in series onsuperposed strips of paper and in which mechanism applies spots of adhesive along the edges of at least one of the strips and presses the strips together to cause marginal adherence of the strips.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for punching rows of spaced perforations in a travelling strip of paper.

Another object is to provide feeding and folding mechanism for folding and stacking a continuous strip in zigzag fashion with each unfolded portion having a predetermined length for a particular run of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to produce a strip comprising a web of paper with printed -forms and a carbon web glued together at in- Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose by way of example the principle of the invention and the best mode which has been contemplated for applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general view of one side of the machine with parts broken away to illustrate the various driving mechanisms;

Fig. 2 is a general view showing the various feed rollers and the course of the webs of paper through the machine;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken across the machine and illustrating the driving connections for the feed rollers and other driven mechanisms;

Fig. 4 illustrates a portion of a strip of paper prepared by the machine and showing one complete form;

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate different operational positions of the mechanism by which the rate of travel of the strip between printing impressions is increased when the machine is conditioned to prepare long forms;

Fig. '7 is an elevational view of the driving mechanism for the printing lines across the strip;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view through the inking mechanism by which ink is provided to the marking cylinder for printing lines across the strip;

Fig. 9 illustrates a device by which an ink transfer roller is reciprocated for spreading the ink;

Fig. 10 is a plan of the drive for the punching mechanism and longitudinal line scoring mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken cross-wise of the punching mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view showing one of the punching mechanisms partly in section;

Fig. 13 is a side elevational view of the folding mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a transverse view of the mechanism for guiding the strip in its passage through the folding mechanism;

Fig. 15 shows a detail of the strip gripping and releasing mechanisms of the drum;

Fig. 16 is a detail of the mechanism for scoring lines laterally of the strip;

Fig. 17 is an elevational view of the aligning mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 18 shows a detail of one of the alignment controlling devices; and

Fig. 19 is a section on line l9-i9 of Fig. 18.

A form of the product of the machine is illustrated in Fig. 4. This includes two superposed sheets or webs, a web of paper It and a web of carbon paper II (not shown in Fig. 4), which are fastened together along their marginal edges 52 and I3 by means of an adhesive which is applied during the first stages of the passage of the webs through the machine. The two webs are combined and thereafter the machine operations are performed on a single strip constituted of the combined webs.

The horizontal lines M and I5 are scored at predetermined distances apart which are determined by the length of the individualform or invoice desired. The captions and whatever other data desired are printed upon the surface of the plain paper in the proper locations. The horizontal lines It are printed in such number-as are required for the particular length of the form which the machine is conditioned to prepare as the strip advances through the machine. The marginal areas l2 and it are punched to provide two series of holes I! and 18 which are desired for feeding the strip through a machine such as a tabulating machine during subsequent use of the strip. The vertically scored lines [9 and 2G, to-- gether with the horizontally scored lines M and I5 frame each printed form and provide for facilitating separation of the forms from each other and the detachment of the marginal areas I2 and IS. The vertical lines '2! are provided in such number as to produce a desired arrangement of columns for a desired form.

The several printing, scoring and punching operations are performed successively as the strip advances through the machine and then the machine stacks the strip by folding it on lines of fold corresponding with the horizontally scored lines M and i5. Although the invention will be described with reference to the arrangement of the various mechanisms for producing a single size of form, the machine is adapted to be adjusted and conditioned for producing forms of other lengths and widths.

The course of the material through the machine is first described in general with reference to Fig. 2. A web of blank paper [0 anda web of carbon paper I i are stored in the machine in conventional supply rolls (not shown). The supply rolls are restrained against free rotation and the webs-are drawn from themby the machine. The plain paper it passes from its source of supply and over an aligning roller 23 and to afeed roller 24 .where it comes together with the carbon paper II which has passed over an aligning roller 25. The two aligning rollers 23 and 25 are so supported as to be capable of Varying the tension of one oranother of the webs in order to-assure that the webs are correctly superposed with respect to each other when they reach the roller 24, as will be described hereinafter. Before the carbon paper I l reaches the roller 24 it passes a device 25 by which glue or other adhesive is app-lied to themarginal areas of the carbon paper. When the carbon paper and plain paper are brought together as they travel over roller 25, they are caused to adhere to each other and to continue on through the machine from this point as a single strip. .Both webs of paper are subsequently advanced and operated upon simultaneously and are therefore referred .toas a single strip.

From the feed roller2 l the strip passes over feed rollers 27 and 28, and alongside a smooth steel-roller 29 of the horizontal scoring device 35. It then passes between a platen 31 and a printing roller=32 by whicha'ny desired captionor wording is printed. From the printing roller 32 the strip continues upwardly and over a roller 33. The roller 33 is supported on a fixed axis when the machine is conditioned to prepare forms of normal length, but is adapted to allow for increasing the speed of the strip past the printing roller 32 between printing impressions when the machine is conditioned to prepare forms of greater length or height. The roller 33 is mounted on a pivoted arm which is oscillated once for each form which is to be printed. The extent of its movement (or lack of movement) is such as to allow for the passage of the proper length of the strip past the printing and horizontal line-scoring mechanisms as these mechanisms rotate at constant speed.

From the roller 33 the strip passes between a platen 34 and a horizontal line printing cylinder 35 and then through the punching mechanism 36. Upon leaving the punching mechanism 36 the longitudinally scored lines 19 and 20 are impressed by a scoring device 31. The strip then passes over a platen 38 above which is mounted the ruling device 39 for printing lines longitudinally of the strip. The strip is then received between a pair of rollers 4%, ll, from which it is fed to the folding and stacking mechanism, which folds the strip along th laterally scored lines M and I5 and deposits the folded strip into a stack 42.

The various feeding, line scoring, printing, punching and folding mechanisms 'areall driven from a single motor 43 and through intermediate trains of gearing which will now be described.

Having reference particularly .to Fig. l, the machine comprises a base 44 which supports the side frames 45, t6, and other covering plates. The motor '43 is suitably mounted on top of the machine'and has a belt connection 41 toapulley 58 which is carried by a shaft 49 from which the wariou trains of gearing are driven. All 'of the operating mechanisms and devices previously referred to, with the exception of the drive for the printing platen 3| and the printing roller 32, derive'motion from a shaft 52, which is driven from shaft 45 through gears 53, 54, 55, 56 and 5 the latter being fixed to the shaft 52.

The horizontal line scoring device 30 is mounted "upon the shaft 58 which carries a gear 59 which is driven from gear 51 through gear "60. The gear 65) is mounted upon shaft 61 upon which the smooth-faced roller 29 is mounted.

The feed rollers 26, 21 and 28, Fig. 2, are mounted on shafts 52, '63 and 64, respectively, which are driven by a belt 55, Fig. 1, which is trained'over pulleys 56, 61'and68 on shafts 6-2, 63 and 54, respectively, pulley "69 on shaft ""1, pulley -1! on shaft 72, and an idler pulley 13. The shaft it :carries a-gear M which mesheswith the gear fill and is driven thereby. The str p,constituted of the united webs l 0 and M, Fig. 2, engages the rollers 24,27 and -28-on'shafts 6'2, '63'and'64, respectively, which rotate to help draw the webs of paper from their supplyrolls.

The mechanism for scoring Zines brosswisexof the strip Fromthe roller 28 the strip passes between-the horizontal line scoring mechanism .30 and .the steel roller 29. As the horizontal line scoring mechanism rotates, horizontal lines .are scored upon thestrip. The spacing of the horizontally scored lines determines the height of each form as indicated'in Fig. 4 at 1'4 and I5. "The horizontal line scoring mechanism comprises a shaft 58, Figs. 2 and "16, on which "are mounted "two disks I1, which are spaced from each other. A plate I8 is bolted onthe inside of each disk and the two plates serve to support a block I9 which extends between them. The block I9 has a slot 80 for guiding a radially extending blade 8| having a serrated edge 82 for pressing upon the strip each time the blade 8| comes opposite the smooth steel roller 29, Fig. 1.

a plurality of springs 83, each of which, together with a plug 84, is contained within a recess in the block. The springs cushion the blade 8| each time it passes the roller .29 and presses upon thestrip. The movement of the blade 8| outwardly of its slot is limited by the screws 85 in the block l9. The smooth roller 29 is rotated from the shaft 52 by the gears 51 and 60, Figs. 1 and 3, and the gear 60 drives the gear 59 on the shaft 53which carries the horizontal line scoring mechanism 30 and its blade 8 I The caption printing mechanism The heading and other desired printing is applied to the form after the horizontal lines have been scored. The strip passes from the horizontal line scoring mechanism to the printing mechanism comprising the platen 3| and the printing roller 32, Fig. 2. The platen is mounted on the shaft 80 which carries the gear 50, Figs. 1 and 3, which is driven by the gear 55, which, together with the gear 34, is mounted on a stud shaft 81. The gear 55 also drives the gear 88 by which the gear 88 on the printing roller shaft 98 is driven.

Ink is provided for the printing roller 32 through the medium of transfer rolls 9|, 82 and 93, Fig. 2. The construction and operation of the printing roller 32 and of the inking mechanism 84 are similar to the ones described in United States Patent 1,553,014, dated November 24, 1925. As

illustrated in Fig. l, the transfer rolls of the inking mechanism 94 are driven from a gear 95 on the driven shaft I2 through a trainof gearing including gears 96, 3? and 88.

The locations of the horizontally scored lines and the locations of the printed heading for each form occur on the strip in accordance with the position of the strip with respect to the marking operations of the printing and scoring mechanisms.

For preparing forms of normal length, that is, short forms, the strip passes through all parts of the machine at a constant speed, but when the length of the form is to be greater than the normal length the strip travels at a correspondingly greater speed over the platen 34 and through the punching mechanism 36 and the feed rollers 40 and 4| to the folding mechanism. In the latter case the velocity of the strip moving past the caption printing roller 32 and past the horizontal line scoring device 30 is increased between successive printing and line scoring impressions and reduced to normal velocity during printing and line scoring impressions because the rate of rotation of the printing roller 32 and of thescoring device 30 is always the same. The'varying of the velocity of the strip at the printing roller 32 is accomplished by controlling the movement of the adjusting roller 33, Figs. 2, 5 and 6, which is oscillated once for each form to locate the caption and other printed matter correctly on the strip. The mechanism for bringing about thedesired justification for printing and line scoring includes the roller 33 which is freely rotatable on a shaft I00 carried by two arms IIJI, I02, Fig. 3. These arms are fixed to a rock shaft I03 which The serrated blade BI is pressed outwardly from the block I9 by means of also carries an arm I04. The arm I04 is connected to a rocker I05 by means of a link I06. The rocker carries a cam follower I0'l which bears upon a cam I08.

The cam I08 is fast to shaft 52 which makes one revolution as the strip advances the distance required to score the two horizontal extending lines I4 and I5 which determin the lower and upper edges of a single form. As shown in Fig. 5, the printing roller 32 has just completed a printing impression for which the adjusting roller 33 has descended at such a rate as to compensate for the velocity of the strip beyond the adjusting roller 33 (as determined by the feed rollers 40 and GI) so as temporarily to establish a velocity of the strip at the printing roller during printing which is equal to the linear velocity of the periphery of the printing roller. The portion of the strip passing the printing roller 32 and of the printing segment have the same linear velocity as printing occurs. After the printing segmenthas passed the platen 3|, the adjusting roller 33 is raised from the position illustrated in Fig. 5 to the position illustrated in Fig. 6 to draw the strip upwardly while the adjusting roller is recovering its uppermost position in order to be ready to reduce the velocity of the strip again the amount required properly to effectuate the next printing impression which occurs once for each revolution of the printing roller 3|] and of the cam I08.

Horizontal line scoring is accomplished by the blade 8| of the line scoring device 30 simultaneously with the printing operation.

When it is desired to have forms produced which are of a difierent height, this can be accomplished by replacing cam I88 with. a cam which will actuate the adjusting roller 33 through a greater or lesser arc, while at the same time replacing gear I22, (Fig. 1) with a different sized gear and adjusting the meshing with gear I23 (Fig. 1) as explained below. For producing forms of normal length, i. e. short forms, the cam I08 is replaced by a disk having a circular periphery whereby to hold the roller 33 on a fixed The mechanism for printing Zines crosswise of the strip In order to print the straight lines It crosswise of the strip, a marking cylinder 35 is provided, Figs. 2 and 8. The marking cylinder 35 has a plurality of straight rules located on its surface for this purpose. The marking cylinder is r0- tatably mounted between a pair of arms I ill, I H (Figs. 2, 7 and 8) which are pivotally supported on a shaft Il2. The printing of horizontal lines occurs whenever the marking cylinder 35 is permitted to contact the strip of paper as it passes over the platen 34. Between printing operations the marking cylinder 35 is raised from. the strip by means of a pair of pivotally supported levers II3, II4 (see also Fig. 3), which have arms engaging with the lugs H5 which are carried by and extend from the pivoted arms H8 an HI. The levers H3 and H4 carry a cam follower H0 and Ill, respectively. The cam followers bear upon similar cams I I8 which are fast to the shaft H9. The shaft H9 is driven from the shaft 81 7 through'gearstaand'w, Fig. 1. The peripheries ofthe -cams II8 are-such that the levers H3 and I M will be rocked clockwise andremain "out of engagement with the lugs II so long as it is necessary to permit the marking cylinder 35 to contact with the strip for printing the desired number of lines on a particular form. The zplaten 34 is fastened to a shaft I 20 which carries a gear I2I. The platen 34 is driven from the shaft 52 through gears I 2-2, I23, I 24 and IE1. -As mentionedabove, the gear I2?! is changeable for replacement by-another gear to obtain a different speed of operation of theplaten-il l, the punching mechanism 35, the vertical line scoring device 31, the roller 38, and the feed rollers A0 and II, depending upon whether the machine .is to prepare forms of normal length or-of greater than normal length. The gear I23 isswingable in an are about the center of the gear I212 and can be located in any position to mesh with the size of the selected change gear I22.

As illustrated in Fi 7, the platen shaft i-ZIl carries a gear I25 which engages .a gear I26 on the marking cylinder shaft 52-] whenever the marking cylinder is in contact with the strip of paper for printing purposes. Gear I25 also meshes with a gear 828 by which the rolls which supply inkto the marking cylinder 35 are driven. The inkis obtainedfrom arubber roll I29 (Fig.8) which. takesink from a supply hopper 536. The roll I29 is rotated by ratchet Wheel I3I and a pawl I32 which cooperates with the ratchet wheel, Fig. 7. The pawl I32 is attached to one arm of a fork-shaped member I 33 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 134. The other arm of the member I33 carries a roller I35 which follows the periphery of a cam Hi6 and causes the forkshaped member MS to oscillate and advance the rubber roll I29 step by step. The cam I36 is mounted on a shaft it? which is driven from the gear I23 throughgears E38, 139 and Hill. lhe gear 13% also meshes with the gear It! which is fast to a shaft I43 upon which the roll Hi l is mounted, Fig. '8. The rubber .roll I45 is removably mounted on brackets I46 which extend from the fork-shaped member I 33. As the forkshaped member oscillates the rubber roll I45 alternately moves into contact with the roll I22, and the roll EM, thereby transferring ink to roll M l. lhe intermediate roll I 34 transfers ink to roll Isl which in turn transfers the ink to the marking cylinder The marking cylinder '35 receives ink from the inking roll I4! each time the marking cylinder is lowered to mark or print lines on the strip passing overrthe platen 3 Be tween successive marking operations the marking cylinder is held away from the strip and out of contact with the inking roll I ll by the cams H8 and the levers I23 and IE6. The roll I l? is re movably mounted at its ends on brackets I43 pivotally mounted on studs Id The .roll Ml is urged against the roll M5 by springs which extend between the brackets Hi3 and the studs l5I.

So as to distribute the ink evenly over the marking cylinder, the intermediate roll I44 is reciproeated axially of itself While it is being rotated. This is accomplish d .by a pair of camoperatod lovers supported on the side frames of the machine. in Fig. 9. Each lever I53 is pivotally mounted on a stud I54 carried by a bracket i One end of the lever I53 abuts the end of the roll shaft Hit and the other end of the lever carries a roller I56 which engages a plate earn 157. The plate One of these levers is illustrated The punching mechanism The punching mechanismtfi, Figs. 1 and '2,by which the lines of perforations I? and I8 are punched into the strip along its marginal edges isillustrated in greater detail in Figs. 10, 11 and 12. The punching mechanism has two complete punchingun-its .I 60 and IBI, one'for punching the holes at one edge of .the strip and the other for punching the holesat the other .edge of the strip. Except for the fact that the two rotatable .heads I62 and I63 rotate in opposite directions, these two punching units are similar, and it will suffice to describe'one of them.

The punching unit includes a base I6 and a cover :portion I65 which are fastened together. The base I64 is supported from a pair of parallel bars IBt-and I6! and is held in place thereon by a clamping screw I68. The head IE2 is supported to rotate about a vertically disposed stud shaft I62 which is carried by the base I64. The head 162 is mounted upon bearings IT 0 and Ill. The head I62 carries a plurality of punches I12 which are arranged in a circle, Fig. 10. Each punchllt is slidably mounted within a bore and is normally supported by means of a leaf spring I13, 1:1. .A'die plate I14 is fastened to the head I62 by -a number of screws H5. The-die plate .has .a plurality of die holes I76 which. are axially located with respect to the several punches I12.

The travel of the axis of a punch located adjacent to the strip corresponds to the linear movement of the strip-passing between the axes of the two rotating heads I62 and I63. The head I82 is driven from a bevel gear I18 which meshes with the gear teeth H9 on the head I62. Bevel gear IIS is carried by a shaft I83 which has a spur gear I81 keyed to its other end. The gear I8! meshes with a gear train which is driven from the shaft 52 (Fig. 1) and includes gears I22, I23, I'M, 132,183, Hi4, I85 (Fig. 10) I86, I81 and IBI.

Gears {8'4 and I85 are mounted on a shaft I88 by which .the rotating head I63 is driven through gears I319, I930, ISI and I92. The head I62 is rotated clockwise and the head I63 is rotated counterclockwise as seen -from above.

The punches I'I2 are actuated individually as they come opposite the edge of the strip. This is accomplished 'by .means of a cam I93 which is carried by shaft I89. The cam I93 carries a number of projections which successively come into contact with the punches I12 as each punch comes into punching position, as illustrated in '12. When the head I52 has carried the actuated punch beyond the axis of shaft I80, the punch which has been actuated is released from coaction with the cam and is withdrawn by its leaf spring I13. As the strip travels between the punching headsandthe die plates, rows of .per-forations I"! and I58 are made in the strip.

The mechanism for scoring the strip longitudinally The::longitudinally scored lines I9 and 2|] are .produced by means of circular disks I95 and I96 (Fig. disk I95 being mounted onshaft I91 which receives its rotation through the gear I 90, and the disk I96 being mounted on shaft I93 which receives its rotation through the gear I86. Each of the disks has a serrated knife edge which presses upon the strip as the strip passes over freely rotatable rollers I89, one of. which is shown in Fig. 12. A roller I99 is mounted upon a bracket 206 which is pivotally mounted upon a stud shaft 2M fastened to the base. I64. The pressure of the roller. I99 on the disk I95 and the interveningstrip of paper may be adjusted by means of a screw 262 by which the tension in the spring 203 is controlled. The roller 204 which cooperates with the disk I96 is similarly constructed and supported. The spacing between the punching units and the longitudinal scoring devices can be adjusted by sliding the units I69 and I6I along rods I66 and I6! to whch they are secured by means of the screws I68.

The mechanism fo printing Zines longitudinally of the strip i l The mechanism by which the vertical lining 2i of the forms is accomplished includes several ruling pens similar to thepen 205, Fig. 2, which are mounted upon a square shaftor bar wthaving turned down ends 20'! for pivotally supporting the shaft in the frames of the machine. An arm 298 is secured to the shaft. The arm 208 carries a cam follower 209 which bears upon a cam 2I0 carried by the shaft ZII. The. shaft ZI I is driven from the gear I33 by means of gears H2, 2I3, Fig. 1. The pens are permitted periodically to descend upon the strip as the strip passes over the roller 3% to mark lineson the strip of such length as is desired. The length of the line is determined by the extent of the low portion of the cam MD. When the cam follower 2% is raised by the high portion of the cam, the pens are lifted from the strip and held away from the strip until the strip has advanced the distance necessary for initiating the marking of the next form. There are as many pens. spaced along the bar 2536 as are required to produce the desired number of vertical lines. When the strip leaves the roller 33 it appears as illustrated in Fig. t, all of the printing, scoring andpunching having been completed. There remains only to fold the strip and tostack it.

Upon leaving the roller 38, Fig. 2,. the strip passes between two feed rollers 4c and 4| which grip and feed the strip to the folding mechanism, Figs. 2,. 13, 14 and 15. The feed roller 48 is driven from the train of gearing. The roller M is free running and is resiliently pressed against the strip and the roller at. The roller 40 is carried by a shaft 2M to which a gear 2I5 is fastened, Fig. 1. The gear H5. is driven from the shaft 52 by the change gear I22, and gears I23, 525 and 182.

The folding mechanism The strip is folded in zigzag fashion, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and the lines of fold coincide with the horizontally scored lines it and I5. Every alternate foldis produced by a tucking blade 2 I? which tucks a fold of the paper between a pair of nipping rollers 2%8, 2E9 which arecar ried by a drum 220. There are four pairs of rollers 7. l 8, 2 it, mounted upon the drum 22:31 at. St intervals, and the tucking blade 2M is oscillated four times for each revolution of the drum. Upon each oscillation of the tucking blade every other fold of the strip is tucked between successive 10 pairs of rollers 2l8and H9. The drum 220 is loosely mounted on the shaft 22 I. The drum carries a gear 222, Fig. 1, which is driven from the shaft 52 through the gears 223, 22 i, 225, which latter gear meshes with the gear 222. The cams 238 and 240 which control the action of the tucking blade 2| I are fixed to shaft 22! which carries a gear 226. The gear 226 is driven from the gear 224 through an intermediate gear 221, Fig. l. The speed ratio between the shaft MI and the drum is four to one and they retain the same speeds whether the machine is set for producing forms of normal length or of greater than normal length. i

The tucking blade 2 ll is mounted upon an ar 229 which is carried by a sleeve 2%, Fig. 13. The sleeve is mounted for oscillation about a shaft 23I Whith is carried by a pair of arms 232 which are mounted to rock about the shaft 22L A bell crank 234, pivoted at 235, is connected to the arm 232 by a link 236. The bell crank 234 carries a cam follower 231 which bears upon a cam 238 which is fast to shaft 221. The cam follower 231 is held against the periphery of the cam 238 by means of a spring 239. As the earn 238 rotates the arm 232 and the tucking blade 2! I are moved in a circular are about the shaft 22!. As the tucking blade ill? moves clockwise, Fig. 13, it is rocked about the pivot 23I to fold the strip between a pair of rollers ZIB and ZIS of the drum. This is accomplished by cam 240 which engages a cam follower 2M at the end of an arm 242, which is secured to the sleeve 230. The cam follower MI is maintained in contact with the periphery of the cam 2% by means of a spring 242. Whenthe camfollowers MI and 231 clear the high points on their respective cams, the tucking blade 2H is lifted from tucking position and is returned to its starting position.

The drum 220 and the rollers 2 I 8 and 2 I ii carry the seized portion of the strip as the drum rotates and until the rollers are spread apart, Fig. 15. The roller 2 I8 is mounted upon a frame 2&3 which is pivotally supported on a shaft 2% carried by the drum. The roller ZIB is normally pressed against the roller 2I9 by the action of a spring 245 which extends between the frame 243 and the drum. Each pair of rollers ZIB, 2I9, are separated once during a revolution of the drum. The shaft 244 carries a lug MB which is adapted to be engaged by a pin 24? extending from the side frame of the machine for causing therelease of the gripped strip. The pin 24! is so located that it will be engaged by the lug 246 and cause rotation of the lug and of the frame 243 to relieve the roller 2H3 from pressing engagement with the strip and with the roller 2 it when the gripped strip is to be released.

As the pair of rollers 213 and m9 travel from strip-engaging to strip-disengaging positions, a length of the strip equal to the length of two forms is advanced by the feed rollers 40 and 4|, and the portion of the strip including the intermediate fold M3 is projected away from the drum by a pair of air jets 249, as illustrated in Fig. 2. This projected portion of the strip expands into a loop which extends towards and over a pair of guides 256 and 25!, Figs. 13 and 14. In order to assist the travel of the extended loop in the proper direction, there is provided an endless belt 252 which is carried by a pair of rollers 253, 255. The roller 25 i is mounted upon a shaft 255 to which a gear Ztifi is fixed, Fig. 1. Gear 256 is driven from the gear l 83 through an intermediate gear 251.

The loop extending between successive pairs of rollers" 218 and. 219 extends over'the: guides; 2.59 and and onto a shelf 26] which. is supported by a pair of arms 26I pivotally mounted upon a shaft. 262, Fig. 13. The guides 259 and 2511 and the: shelf 260 are subsequently removed from strip-supporting position to permit: the folded strip to drop into the stacker. 42. Before the rails and the shelf are operated to permit this to happen,. the strip is folded along the intermediate horizontally scored line separating" adjacent forms- This is accomplished by a creasing blade 263 which is fastened to a rock shaft 254.-

The rock shaft 264 carries an arm 265 which is pivotally connected: to a bellcrank 2.66: by a link 261. The bell crank 266 carries a cam follower 268' which is pressed? by a spring 269: into contact with a cam 21!) which is fixed tothe shaft 226.. While the forward. end of the intermediate loop portion is supported upon the shelf; 250,. the creasing blade 253 is caused to bear down. upon. the folded strip and: press; the same against the shelf 269.. This is accomplished as: the cam. follower 2'69 drops from the high portion of the. cam 21!] and permits the bell. crank 266 to besrocked. clock wise, Fig. 13.1 Followingxthe creasing. operation the bell crank 266' is rocked. counterclockwise and the: creasing blade 2-63 is raised to the position illustrated in Fig; 13.

After the strip has beenzcreased', the shelf 260 is rocked away from: strip supporting position. This is: accomplished by a. cam 21113 cooperating with the cam follower'212 mounted on an arm 2:13 which is pivoted to rock on shaft 214. The arm 213' is integral with the arm 215 which is connected to an arm 216 by a link 211-. The arm 216 is carried by the shaft 262. A spring 218 maintains the cam follower 212 in. contact with the periphery of the cam 21ft and asv the cam follower 212 dips into a dwell in the cam 211', the arm 215 rocks clockwise and actuate's the shaft 262 counterclockwise and causes the arms 2'51 and the shelf 290 to be removed from beneath the: folded portion of the strip.v The guides 250 and 25| are at the same time moved away from each. other so as to permit the folded strip to drop into the stacker 42. This action. is' accomplished as the arm 219, which is integral with the arms 213 and: 215, is rocked clockwise.

The motion of the arm 2191 transmitted to a the guides 250 and: 251 by a. link 28!), Figs; 13 and 14', whose upper end is -fastened to an arm 23 I on the shaft 282. When the: cam follower 2'12 rolls onto the low'portion. of the cam 2-11, the link 289 is pulled'down and the shaft 292: is rocked counterclockwise, as seen in Fig. 13; The shaft 282 carriesan arm 283 to which link 284 is attached. The shaft 282 also carrie an arm 285 to which a link 286 is attached. The link 28 is pivotally connected to a bracket 231 which is slid'ably mounted upon a pair of rods 289 and 283-. The link 2.86 is pivotally connected to a bracket 2995. which also is slidably molmted on the rods 2'88 and. 289. The guides 250 and. 25! are carried by the slidably' mounted: brackets 281' and 291i, respectively. It is therefore apparent that when the link 280." is pulled downwardly and the shaft 282 is rocked. counterclockwise, Fig. 13, the two guides 25!]- and 25f and theirsupporting brackets are moved away from each other. Immediately upon releasing. the folded sheet the guides 259 and 251. are restored to their strip-supporting positions by the action of the cam 21!. The fore going operations: occur four times during a complete revolution of the drum 220, during which- 12 eight complete forms are folded and deposited in the stackerbox 4 2.

The mechanism ,for aligning. the webs Figs; 2 and 17.. The aligning rollers are similarly supported and controlled for aligning the two webs. The aligning roller 23 carries stud shafts 2.94,. 295, one at each end. The stud shafts of the roller 23 are mounted on levers 239, respectively, and the levers are individually mounted on stud shafts 298 and 299,v which extend from the side frames of the machine. The forward end of the lever 296 is supported by the armature act of the solenoid 30! and the forward end of the lever 29-1 -is similarly supported by the solenoid 382. The solenoids are supported from the side frames by brackets. The roller 25 is similarly mounted onlevers 393 and 304 which are in turn respec tively mounted on stud shafts 395 and 399 and are normally supported by the armatures of the solenoids 301 'and 308.

The levers 296 and 303 are connected together by a spring 309, and a spring 310 similarly connectsthe levers 304 and 291. These springs bias the ends of the rollers 23 and 25 downwardly against the support provided by the armatures. So long as the webs are in correct alignment, all of the solenoids remain deenergized. Whenever one or the other of the webs gets out of alignment, it is restored to alignment by the raising of an end of the one or the other of the aligning rollers over which the particular misaligned web is passing. Alignment of the paper is restored by throwing the roller out of alignment and thereby causing the paper to travel on the roller. This is accomplished by energizing the solenoid at the edge of the strip towards which. movement of the strip is desired. A switch is provided for each solenoid. The switch is best shown in Figs. 18' and 19. Each switch is supported from aside wall of the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 18. The switch includes two conducting strips 3 l 3 and 314 which, together with a cantilever spring mem ber 3I5, are supported on an insulated block 325. The conducting strip 313 is normally held against a stop 3|1. The forward end of the strip 356 is engaged in a. groove within the cam 3 9 which is mounted on a shaft 3| 9. The shaft 3|9 is journaled in bearings 329 and 32! and extends outwardly of the cover 322. The shaft 3E9 carries a sensing lever .323 which has a surface 924% disposed at right angles to the edge of the web it (o'rl'l One. end of a spring 323 is secured to the cam 3 I8, and its other end is supported by a screw 321 which is adjustably set to have the spring maintain the face of the sensing lever 323 in contact with the edge of the web when the web is in correct alignment. If the web becomes misaligned towards the left, as illustrated in 11, it will allow the sensing lever 323 to move to the left and thereby rotate the shaft 3 l 9 in a counterclockwise direction and cause the contact 328 between the conductor strips 3 l3 and 3 M to close. When the contact closes its associated solenoid i energized. This causes the end of the aligning roller adjacent the particular sensing lever which has become displaced to be lifted, with the result that the roller is misaligned sufficiently to cause re-alignment of the web. As re-alignment occurs,

the web moves against the sensing lever and causes the circuit of the particular solenoid concerned to be opened. All of the four solenoids and their associated switches operate similarly to control the tension of the webs I!) and I for the purpose of bringing them together in correct alignment when they reach the feeding roller 24.

- of carbon paper II pass from the aligning rollers 23 and 25, the webs are spot-glued together along their marginal edges. The glue is applied outside of the vertically scored sines l9 and 2!). The mechanism by which the glue is applied includes a pair of levers 330, 33!, Figs. 2 and 3, each piv oted to a side frame of the machine. Each lever carries a cam follower 332 which engages a earn 333 on the shaft I Hi. The lever 330 has pivotally connected to its end a link 334 whose other end is pivotally connected to a pivoted arm 335. The arm 335 is mounted upon a shaft 333 which carries a goose neck arm 337. Mounted on the end of the arm 33! is a roller 338 which extends into a tray 339 containing glue. The lever 33!, companion to the lever 333, is connected to a link 340, Fig. 3, which is connected to an arm for rocking the shaft 3, the goose neck arm 342 and the roller 343 at the other edge of the strip. As the shaft H9 rotates, the glue-applying rollers 338 and 343 are periodically raised into contact with the underside of the carbon web I I. In this manner spots of glue are applied to the carbon web as it travels past the gluing device. The two webs are brought together as they pass over the feeding roller 24.

The operation of the machine will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing disclosure. In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the inven marking the strip with horizontal lines at intervals along its length, said marking means including a laterally movable marking cylinder and a platen, means for driving said feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said scoring means, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the scoring means to equal the peripheral velocity of said scoring means While the scoring operation is being effectuated, and means controlling the lateral movement of said marking cylinder into and out of marking relationship with the strip in timed relation to the rate of t til feed of the strip to mark lines on the strip in spaced relation to the scored lines. l

2. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, means for printing information on the strip at intervals along its length, said scoring and printing, means having a given peripheral velocity, means for marking the strip with horizontal lines at intervals along its length, said marking means including a laterally movable marking cylinder and a platen, means for driving said feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said scoring and rinting means, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the scoring and printing means to equal the peripheral velocity of said scoring and printing means while the scoring and printing operations are being effectuated, line scoring means and printing means, and means opntrolling the lateral movement of said marking cylinder into and out of marking relationship with the strip in timed relation to the rate of feed of the strip to mark lines on the strip in spaced. relation to the scored lines and printed information.

3. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length said scoring means having a given peripheral velocity, means including a marking cylinder for marking lines across the strip, means for periodically actuating said last named means for marking groups of lines in spaced relation to each other, means controllingthe duration of operation of said marking cylinder for determining the number of lines in each group of lines marked on the travelling strip, means for driving said feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking cylinder means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said scoring means, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the scoring means to equal the peripheral velocity of said scoring means while the scoring operation is being effectuated, and means driven by said driving means for controlling the actuation of said actuating means for spacing the group of lines marked upon said strip with respect to the scored lines.

4. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for printing information on the strip at intervals along its length, said printing means having a given peripheral velocity, means including a marking cylinder for marking lines across the strip, means for periodically actuating said last-named means for marking groups of lines in spaced relation to each other, means controlling the duration of operation of said marking cylinder for determining the number of lines in each group of lines marked on the travel ling strip, means for driving said feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said printing means, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the printing means to equal the peripheral velocity of said printing means while the printing operation is being eifectuated, and means, driven by said driving means for conacswooo l trolling the actuation of saidaotuating-means for spacing the group of lines markeduponsaid strip with respect to the information printed on said strip.

5. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for printing information on the strip at intervals along its length, said printing means having a given peripheral velocity, means for periodically marking the strip with horizontal lines, said marking means including a laterally movable marking cylinder and a rotatable platen, means for actuating said marking cylinder for marking lines on the strip, means for driving said feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said printing means, means for operating saidcyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the printing means to equal the peripheral velocity of said printing means While the printing operation is being effectuated, and means controlling the lateral movement of said marking cylinder to mark lines on the strip in spaced relation to the printed information on the strip.

6. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, said scoring means having a given peripheral velocity, means for periodically marking the strip with horizontal lines, said marking means including a marking cylinder pivotally mounted with respect to a rotatable platen, means for periodically raising and lowering said marking cylinder with respect to said platen, means for rotating said marking cylinder to mark horizontal lines on said strip as said strip travels over said platen, means for driving said feeding means to feed said stripat the same velocity as the peripheral velocity of said marking cylinder and platen, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said scoring means, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the scoring means to equal the peripheral velocityv of said scoring means While the scoring operation is being effectuated, and means controlling the operation of said marking cylinder to mark lines on the strip in spaced relation to the scoring on the strip.

'7. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, a roller, a line scoring device including a serrated blade mounted for rotation alongside said roller, a platen, a printing roller mounted alongside said platen for printing upon a strip passing between said platen and said printing roller, said roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller having a given peripheral velocity, a second platen, a line printing cylinder mounted opposite said second platen, means for periodically lowering said line printing cylinder into contact with the strip passing between said printing cylinder and said second platen, means for driving said strip feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the linear velocity of the peripheries of the second platen and line printing cylinder, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past the roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller, and means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past the roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller to equal the peripheral velocity of said roller, line scoring device, platen and print- 1- 6 ing roller while the printing and line scoring operation is being eifectuated.

8. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, a roller, a linescoring device including a serrated blade mounted for rotation alongside said roller, a platen, a printing roller mounted alongside said platen for printing upon a strip passing between said platen and said printing roller, said. roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller having a givenrperipheral velocity, a second platen, a line printing cylinder-mounted opposite said second platen, means-for periodically lowering said line printing cylinder into contact with the strip passing between said printing cylinder, andsaid second platen, means driven from said second, platen for rotating said printing cylinder when, said printing cylinder, is lowered to printing position, means for driving said strip feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the, linear velocity of the, peripheries of the second platen and line printing cylinder, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past the roller, line scoring device, platen and printin roller, and means for operating said cyclic. means to cause the velocity of said strip past the roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller to equal the peripheral velocity of said roller, line scoring device, platen and printing roller while theprinting and line scoring operation is being. effectuated.

9. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip ofmaterial through a machine, means for printing information on the strip at intervals along its length, said printing means, having a given peripheral velocity, line printing mechanism comprising a rotatable platen and a marking cylinder movably mounted for intermittent cooperation with said platen for printing lines at intervals along said strip, means for rotating said platen and said marking cylinder at the same peripheral velocity, means for driving said strip feeding means tov feed said strip at the same velocity as the linear velocity of the peripheries of said platen and marking cylinder, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said first-named printing means and means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past said first-named printing means to equal the peripheral velocity of said first-named printing means while the printing operation is being efiectuated.

10. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, said scoring means having a given linear velocity during the scoring operation, line printing mechanism comprising a rotatable platen and a marking cylinder movably mounted for intermittent cooperation with said platen for printing lines at intervals along said strip, means for rotating said platen and said marking cylinder at the same peripheral velocity, means for driving said strip feeding means to feed said strip at the same velocity as the linear velocity of the peripheries of said platen and marking cylinder, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of said strip past said scoring means, and means, for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past said scoring means to equal the given linear velocity while the scoring is being effectuated.

11. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip'of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, said scoring means having agiven linear velocity during the scoring operation, means for punching a series of holeslengthwise of the strip, means for operatingsaid punching means for punching the holes at the rate of speed at which the strip passes said punching means, means cyclically operable for varying the velocity of the strip past said scoring means during part of an operation cycle and between scoring operations, means controlling said cyclic means for causing the velocity of said strip past said scoring means to be equal to the given linear velocity while the scoring operation is under way, and means for operating said scoring means at a constant speed.

12. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for printing on the strip at intervals along its length, said printing means having a given peripheral velocity, means for punching a series of holes lengthwise of the strip, means for operating said punching means for punching the holes at the rate of speed at which the strip passes said punching means, cyclically operable means for varying the velocity of the strip past said printing means during part of an operation cycle and between printing operations, means for operating said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip past sai printing means to equal the peripheral velocity of said printing means during the printing operations, and means for operating said printing means at constant speed.

13. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, means for printing on the strip at intervals along its length, each said scoring means and said printing means having a given peripheral velocity and both said velocities being equal to one another, means for actuating said scoring means and printing means, punching mechanism for punching a series of holes along said strip, means for advancing said strip through said punching mechanism and for actuating said punching mechanism at a constant speed, cyclically operable means for varying the rate of speed of said strip in advance of said punching mechanism during part of an operation cycle and means for controlling said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip in advance of said punching mechanism to equal said given velocities during the printing and scoring operations.

14. A machine of the class described comprising punching mechanism for punching a series of holes lengthwise of a moving strip of material, means for feeding the strip through said punching mechanism at a given speed, means for printing on the strip at intervals, said printing means including a rotatable printing roller and a rotatable platen, means for rotating said rotatable printing roller and platen at a constant peripheral speed, cyclically operable means for periodically varying the velocity of the strip past said printing means during part of an operation cycle and between printing operations, means control ling said cyclic means to cause the velocity of the strip past said printing means to be equal to said constant peripheral speed during printing operations, and means for operating said punching mechanism for punching holes longitudinally of the strip said given speed of the strip being greater than said constant peripheral speed.

15. A machine of the class described comprising punching mechanism for punching a series of holes lengthwise of a movingstrip of material, means for feeding the strip through said punching mechanism at a given constant speed, means for printing on the strip at intervals, said printing means including a rotatable printing roller and a rotatable platen, means for rotating said rotatableprinting roller and platen at a constant peripheral speed different from the feed of the strip through said punching mechanism, means for compensating for the difference in rates of travel of the strip through the punching mechanism and between the printing roller and platen at the time of printing, said compensating means including an adjustably mounted roller engaged by the strip as it travels from said printing means to said punching mechanism and a cam for oscillating said roller during part of an operation cycle, and operating means for said punching mechanism, printing means and cam, said cam having a shape such that the strip will have a rate of travel between the printing roller and platen equal to the constant peripheral speed of the printing roller and platen at the time of printing while having a different rate of travel between the printing roller and platen during the time when the printing operation is not taking place.

16. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a strip of material through a machine, means for scoring lines longitudinally of the strip, means for transversely scoring the strip at intervals along its length, means for printing on the strip at intervals along its length, each said scoring means and said printing means having a'given peripheral velocity and both said velocities being equal to one another, means for actuating said scoring means and printing means, punching mechanism for punching two series of holes in rows lengthwise of the moving strip of material, said punching mechanism comprising a pair of similar punching units located one at each edge ofthe moving strip, each unit including a rotatable punching head carrying a plurality of punches and dies arranged circularly with respect to the axis of the punching head, means to actuate said punches one at a time to punch holes within marginal areas of the strip as the punching heads rotate, means for guiding the strip tangentially to the circles of punches and dies and between the punches and dies of said punching heads and through said line scoring means, means for advancing said strip through said punching mechanism and for actuating said punching mechanism at a constant speed, cyclically operable means for varying the rate of speed of said strip in advance of said punching mechanism during part of an operation cycle and means for controlling said cyclic means to cause the velocity of said strip in advance of said punching mechanism to equal said given velocities during the printing and scoring operations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Name Date 882,283 Wolfe Mar. 17, 1908 924,794 Klein June 15, 1909 1,015,580 Nichols Jan. 23, 1912 1,034,637 Meisel Aug. 6, 1912 1,153,045 Dupuis Sept. 7, 1915 1,153,046 Dupuis Sept. "7, 1915 (Other references on following page) Number 19 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Pringle Oct. 10, 1916 Sheldon Nov. 13, 1923 Mayer Oct. 18, 1927 Marquardt Mar. 24, 1931 Paulsen May 23, 1933 Gerster Dec. 18, 1934 Mueller Jan. 1, 1935 Turk May 12, 1936 Number 20 Name Date Wulf Sept. 15, 1936 Scu'dds Feb. 28, 1939 Hayward Mar. 21, 1939 Fulk Apr. 11, 1939 Page Nov. 5, 1940 Bruker Nov. 18, 1941 Wyrick Mar. 5, 1946 Guilbert 1 Sept. 19, 1950 Pinckert Mar. 27, 1951 

